Benicio Del Toro Bows Out of 'Star Trek 2', Khan Might Be the Villain After All

December 6, 2011 (1:39 am) GMT

Words are, the talks with Del Toro have broken down in late November due to monetary issue, forcing J.J. Abrams to find a replacement before the film starts shooting in early 2012.

Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro might not star in "Star Trek 2" after all. While the news of his casting has been buzzing wildly over the past few weeks, it is now reported that Del Toro has dropped out of the talks to tackle the villain role in the upcoming sequel.

Vulture reported that the deal between Del Toro and director J.J. Abrams "actually went asunder last Wednesday [November 30] after parties couldn't come to terms over monetary issue." As a result, Abrams must now move quickly to find a replacement to fill the part.

Previously, Del Toro was rumored to be playing Khan Noonien Singh, a villainous character which was originally played by Ricardo Montalban. Though Abrams insisted that the report was "not true", a highly placed source revealed to Vulture that Khan is "indeed the film's baddie."

While Del Toro has turned down the offer to star in the untitled Star Trek sequel, Variety reported that the original "RoboCop" actor, Peter Weller, has just been cast to join the forthcoming film. However, details of his role are still kept secret.

"Star Trek 2" has been scheduled to begin the production in January 2012. The movie reportedly will be shot in 3D, despite the fact that Abrams previously denied that he had considered to film the sequel in 3D.